Awning-wise we were originally leaning towards a foxwing, but are now thinking of going with an ARB or CVT and an 8' x 8' Ez-Up. Has anyone else used that setup for the flexibility of having a base camp or having coverage on the side and rear of van when needed? Any guidance from those that have done this for a while?

I've used a portable EZ up and a large floor less tent type enclosed shelter. They're nice as a base camp and the shelter I have can be closed up for cold weather or used as a screen room. I did return to camp once to find high winds had sent it flying. I only use it when pulling my little trailer because it takes up space. Sometimes I just use tarps as a lean-to shelter. At least they handle wind better. I have a Fiamma awning on the van and have 3 nylon sides that helps a bit in cold weather. I often use a propane fire under the awning as heat which is nice when ground fires aren't allowed. I do sleep better if I retract the awning at night but if staked out well the setup handles some fairly stiff winds.
Fiamma awnings are quick to set up, so while on the road it's a good option and doesn't take up a lot of space.

Hey I know that van. Boy mike didn't hold onto that van long. Glad to see you here though! Pretty cool van, I was really impressed with the bumpers. A lot of thought went into those.

Too bad I didn't know you were picking it up. I have an oem lsd stinking up my garage right now that I need to get rid of ��

Mike left his bill of sale in the van after I bought it, so while he didn't hold onto is long, he made a few bucks on the sale. I should have made him throw in his Northshore bike rack to swing the deal.

When I picked it up he was convinced that the rear diff leak was only at the cover seal, I didn't know for sure (but had an inkling), that I was going to have to get deeper into the rebuild.

From what I understand the truetrac is a significant upgrade from the OEM LSD, what's your take?

I've used a portable EZ up and a large floor less tent type enclosed shelter. They're nice as a base camp and the shelter I have can be closed up for cold weather or used as a screen room. I did return to camp once to find high winds had sent it flying. I only use it when pulling my little trailer because it takes up space. Sometimes I just use tarps as a lean-to shelter. At least they handle wind better. I have a Fiamma awning on the van and have 3 nylon sides that helps a bit in cold weather. I often use a propane fire under the awning as heat which is nice when ground fires aren't allowed. I do sleep better if I retract the awning at night but if staked out well the setup handles some fairly stiff winds.
Fiamma awnings are quick to set up, so while on the road it's a good option and doesn't take up a lot of space.

Having camped in the NorthWet for 20 years - I own about every size and color of tarp out there. We definitely will use those for base camps around here fall - winter.

Dave - which EZ-up shelter do you have? I am leaning towards getting a wide CVT (with 1der's brackets) and an EZ-up. Then in the future deciding whether to add walls to the EZ-up or the CVT. I have a bunch of big stakes or rigging for the desert to try to keep things anchored to the ground.